United Nations CAT/C/DEU/Q/5/Add.1

Convention against Torture Distr.: General 12 September 2011 and Other Cruel, Inhuman

or Degrading Treatment Original: English or Punishment

Committee against Torture Forty-seventh session 9 May–3 June 2011 Written replies by the Government of to the list of issues (CAT/C/DEU/Q/5) to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the fifth periodic report of Germany (CAT/C/DEU/5)***

[30 August 2011]

* In accordance with the information transmitted to States parties regarding the processing of their reports, the present document was not edited before being sent to the United Nations translation services. ** Annexes can be consulted in the files of the Secretariat.

GE.11- 45369 CAT/C/DEU/Q/5/Add.1

Introduction

1. In February 2011, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany submitted the fifth periodic report in accordance with article 19, paragraph 1, second sentence, of the Convention of 10 December 1984 against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereinafter: the Convention). The period under review covered the years 2004 to 2008. In specific cases, account had been taken of current developments up until June 2009. 2. In a letter dated 8 June 2011, the Committee against Torture requested the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany to respond to a list of issues, containing 53 questions, by 30 August 2011. 3. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany hereby submits its replies to the list of issues. 4. Looking forward with great interest to the presentation of its fifth periodic report under the Convention, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany hopes for a constructive dialogue with the Committee. The Government further affirms that it will continue its practice of taking due notice of the results of the presentation and the recommendations to be issued.

Articles 1 and 4

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 1 of the list of issues (CAT/C/DEU/Q/5) 5. A definition of torture which is in full conformity with the Convention – and is literally taken from article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court – is contained in section 7 of the Völkerstrafgesetzbuch (Code of Crimes against International Law), in force as of 1 July 2002. This has been set out in paragraph 7 of the State report.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 2 of the list of issues 6. As indicated in the fifth report (at 7, 163) and supra, at 1, the Criminal Code as well as the Code of Crimes against International Law already provide provisions which allow the prosecution of torture. The Federal Government believes that German criminal law sufficiently incriminates and adequately sanctions all acts of torture. Therefore, making torture a specific offence in the context of general criminal law is currently not being contemplated.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 3 of the list of issues 7. The Convention is part of the German legal order. It ranks as a Federal Law and is therefore applicable in the German courts. The Federal Government is, however, not aware of any cases before the courts where the Convention has been applied. This may also be due to the fact that article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights contains a similar provision which is usually cited in relevant cases. See e.g. the judgment in the Daschner case (cited in paragraph 56 of the State report) where the Frankfurt court made a reference to “international contracts and conventions like, e.g. article 3 of the ECHR”.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 4 of the list of issues 8. Any military superior who has committed any of these offenses is liable to imprisonment from three month to five years (sections 30, para. 1, 31 of the Military Penal

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Code). According to sections 30, paragraph 4, and 31, paragraph 3, Military Penal Code, sanctions between six month and five years will be imposed in especially serious cases. 9. As set out supra, at 2, the Federal Government believes that section 340, paragraph 1, in conjunction with section 224, of the Criminal Code, already provides adequate and deterrent sanctions. As regards the armed forces, the Federal Government is convinced that sections 30 and 31 of the Military Penal Code as well as the provisions of the Criminal Code and the Code of Crimes against International Law (see section 3, paragraph 1, of the Military Penal Code) sufficiently incriminate and penalise any acts of torture in the military.

Article 2

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 6 of the list of issues 10. Following the transfer of legislative responsibility for the penal system to the Länder, the Federal Government no longer has any legal powers regarding the execution of sentences. However, the Länder, too, are bound by constitutional law, basic and human rights and, in particular, the principle of rehabilitation of prisoners and legally binding agreements at international level. To the extent that the Länder have passed new legislation, this does not differ considerably from previous regulations on the federal level. The standards and safeguards set forth in the Convention are fully guaranteed.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 7 of the list of issues. 11. Before a foreign national is handed over to the Federal Police for deportation, the Länder authorities must conduct a medical examination if there is any indication of a health risk or other risks which could have an impact on execution of the order. These examinations are conducted with a special focus on post-traumatic stress disorders (PTBS). As long as the existence of a post-traumatic stress disorder cannot be ruled out, removal by air will not take place.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 8 of the list of issues 12. On 1 January 2010, the Law amending the law on remand custody entered into force. The relevant new provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure are the following:

Section 114a - Notification of Accused A copy of the warrant of arrest shall be handed over to the accused at the time of his arrest; if he does not have a sufficient command of the German language he shall additionally be provided with a translation in a language he understands. If it is not possible for a copy and, where necessary, a translation to be handed over to him, he must be informed without delay, in a language he understands, of the grounds for his arrest and the accusations levied against him. In that case the copy of the warrant of arrest and, where necessary, a translation shall subsequently be handed over to him without delay.

Section 114b - Instruction of Arrested Accused; Rights (1) The arrested accused shall be instructed as to his rights without delay and in writing in a language he understands. If written instruction is clearly insufficient, oral instruction shall also be given. The same procedure shall apply mutatis mutandis if it is not possible to give instruction in writing; written instruction shall, however, be given subsequently insofar as this can reasonably be done. The accused shall confirm in writing that he was given instruction; if he refuses, this shall be documented.

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(2) In the instruction pursuant to subsection (1) the accused shall be advised that he 1. Shall, without delay, at the latest on the day after his apprehension, be brought before the court that is to examine him and decide on his further detention; 2. Has the right to reply to the accusation or to remain silent; 3. May request that evidence be taken in his defence; 4. May at any time, also before his examination, consult with defence counsel of his choice; 5. Has the right to demand an examination by a female or male physician of his choice; 6. May notify a relative or a person trusted by him, provided the purpose of the investigation is not endangered thereby. An accused who does not have a sufficient command of the German language shall be advised that he may demand that an interpreter be called in to the proceedings free of charge. A foreign national shall be advised that he may demand notification of the consular representation of his native country and have messages communicated to the same.

Section 114c - Notification of Relatives (1) An arrested accused shall be given an opportunity without delay to notify a relative or a person trusted by him, provided the purpose of the investigation is not endangered thereby. (2) If detention is executed against the arrested accused after he is brought before the court, the court shall order that one of his relatives or a person trusted by him be notified without delay. The same duty shall exist in respect of every further decision on the continuation of detention.

Section 127 - Provisional Arrest (1) If a person is caught in the act or is being pursued, any person shall be authorized to arrest him provisionally, even without judicial order, if there is reason to suspect flight or if his identity cannot be immediately established. The establishment of the identity of a person by the public prosecution office or by officials in the police force shall be governed by Section 163b subsection (1). (2) Furthermore, in exigent circumstances, the public prosecution office and officials in the police force shall be authorized to make a provisional arrest if the prerequisites for issuance of a warrant of arrest or of a committal order have been fulfilled. (3) In the case of a criminal offence which can only be prosecuted upon application, provisional arrest shall also be admissible where no application has yet been filed. This shall apply mutatis mutandis if a criminal offence may be prosecuted only with authorization or upon request for prosecution. (4) Sections 114a to 114c shall apply mutatis mutandis to provisional arrest by the public prosecution office and by officials in the police force.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 9 of the list of issues 13. The annual Public Prosecution Office Statistics for 2009 and 2010 show the following numbers for investigations initiated:

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Relevant allegation 2009 2010 intentional killing by police officers 25 34 inappropriate use of force and abandonment by police officers 1,604 2,133 coercion and abuse of office by police officers 1,351 1,822

14. The information contained under 2.1.2, items 26 to 28, in the Public Prosecution Office Statistics refers to investigation proceedings initiated against law enforcement officers regardless of where the offence is alleged to have taken place. The statistical information gathered with regard to the alleged place of the offence – which is contained in another part of the statistics – had merely served as an indicator for possible offences by law enforcement officers before the introduction of the new data groups.

Response to the issues raised in paragraph 10 of the list of issues 15. The administration of the National Agency for the Prevention of Torture (comprised of the Federal Agency and the Joint Länder Commission) has been established at the Centre for Criminology (KrimZ), a joint academic facility of the Federation and the Länder located in Wiesbaden. 16. The Federal Agency for the Prevention of Torture was set up by decree of the Federal Ministry of Justice dated 20 November 2008 and began work on 1 May 2009. In December 2008 Mr. Klaus Lange-Lehngut, former governor of Berlin-Tegel Prison, was appointed as honorary director of the Federal Agency. Since the beginning of its work the Federal Agency has visited a total of 17 Federal Police Stations (Bundespolizei), five bases of the Federal German Defence Forces (Bundeswehr) and two customs investigation offices. 17. The Joint Commission of the Länder for the Prevention of Torture was set up by a State Treaty between the 16 Länder dated 25 June 2009 and came into force on 1 September 2010. The four honorary members of the Joint Commission of the Länder were officially nominated on 23 and